Romwel Anzures

San Miguel Beermen head coach Leo Austria in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. Photo from PBA Images.

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ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738154080440IMG_6133.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="San Miguel Beermen head coach Leo Austria in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. Photo from PBA Images."/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">San Miguel Beermen head coach Leo Austria in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. <em>Photo from PBA Images.</em></span></span></span>MANILA — The San Miguel Beermen will not be advancing to the PBA Playoffs for the first time in 10 years.</div><p>The Leo Austria-mentored team is already out of quarterfinals contention in the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup, and this was after the NLEX Road Warriors’ 94-76 victory over Hong Kong Eastern on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2025/1/29/pba-nlex-dumps-eastern-secures-playoff-for-qfinals-spot-1944">READ: NLEX dumps Eastern to secure playoff for 8th spot, oust SMB from contention</a></div><p>San Miguel previously missed out on the 2014-15 Com’s Cup playoffs as they settled for a triple tie with the GlobalPort Batang Pier and the Kia Carnival for the 9th to 11th playoff spot of that conference.</p><p>Coincidentally, the man behind the Road Warriors’ win which eliminated SMB is a familiar name to the league’s winningest franchise — former Beermen head coach Jong Uichico.</p><p>The nine-time PBA champion mentor won six of his total titles with San Miguel Beer during his seven-year tenure there.</p><div>But Uichoco brushed off being the one to end the playoff hopes of SMB.<br/><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1738154200423IMG_6134.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="NLEX Road Warriors head coach Jong Uichico in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. Photo from PBA Images."/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">NLEX Road Warriors head coach Jong Uichico in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup. <em>Photo from PBA Images.</em></span></span></span>”Bahala na,” said Coach Jong, whose last title as a head coach even came in the same conference that the Beermen last failed to advance to. Uichco previously led the TNT KaTropa to a championship run in the 14-15 Com’s Cup after they defeated the Rain or Shine ElastoPainters in seven games.</div><p>The veteran mentor instead turned his focus on securing a spot in the quarterfinals as they are still awaiting their fate in the import-laden conference.</p><p>“I’ll always be glad to have a chance for the next round. How we get there, bahala na. Basta, I have that opportunity for the next round. If it’s outright, fine, if it’s playoff or knockout then sige,” he stressed.</p><p>On the other hand, San Miguel will exit the conference with their 5-7 record and a campaign that saw them change reinforcements from Quincy Miller, to Torren Jones, to Jabari Narcis, and finally, to Malik Pope.</p><p>The last time that they did not enter the playoffs, Austria just concluded his second conference with San Miguel, and this was after they started the Com’s Cup with a 0-4 record under import Ronald Roberts.</p><p>Arizona Reid then made his PBA return, this time with the Beermen, and he led them to a 4-3 record. Unfortunately, their 4-7 standing was only enough for ninth place.</p><p>However, if there is one thing that San Miguel can look forward to from this elimination, what followed their exit in the 2015 Com’s Cup was a championship in the following conference, the erstwhile-Season 40 ending Governors’ Cup.<strong></strong><br/></p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO: </strong> <script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABTq5pr4qvhEbohL&amp;activation=click&amp;vip_mode=playing&amp;vip_position=bottom-right"></script></div>

<p>The San Miguel Beermen will not be advancing to the PBA Playoffs for the first time in 10 years.</p>

The San Miguel Beermen will not be advancing to the PBA Playoffs for the first time in 10 years.

For the first time in a decade, the San Miguel Beermen fail to make PBA playoffs

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For the first time in a decade, the San Miguel Beermen fail to make PBA playoffs

Rom Anzures,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 29, 2025 09:59 PM PHT

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